1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of moderation of environments where animal are stored or housed and release waste into an area adjacent, under or into the environment. The invention relates to moderating effects of microbes and gaseous emissions from the waste and to the ability to use bound waste safely and effectively in agricultural applications.
2. Background of the Art
Modern livestock techniques involve the sheltering of large numbers of animals in confined areas. Whether with poultry (chicken, turkeys, ducks and geese) or mammals (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and the like), high density or concentrated housing of animals is a cost efficient method of producing livestock, but that density often creates adverse conditions for the growth and health of the animals and for workers. The density of waste, the concentration of microbes and the volume of emissions from the stored wastes greatly increase along with the animal density in storage, and the difficulty in moderating or correcting that environment increases with the larger scale of the livestock system.
Even mythology has attempted to address the problems of maintaining a clean environment for large stables in the Fifth Labor of Hercules. For the fifth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clean up King Augeas' stables. Eurystheus made Hercules' task even harder, requiring him to clean up after all of the cattle of Augeas in a single day. King Augeas owned more cattle than anyone in Greece and he had many herds of cows, bulls, goats, sheep and horses. First Hercules tore a first opening in one wall of the cattle-yard where the stables were. Then he made another opening in the wall on the opposite side of the yard. Next, he dug wide trenches to two rivers which flowed nearby and then turned the course of the rivers into the yard. The rivers rushed through the stables, flushing them out, and all the mess flowed out the hole in the wall on other side of the yard.
Modern livestock management has mimicked this technique, with large animal waste storage areas provided under the flooring animal stalls and pens, and the storage areas may be cleaned only a few times a year by flushing out the storage areas with water and then scrubbed. The waste is highly aromatic and microbe laden and is costly to dispose of.
The nature of the problems caused by large concentration housing of animals is quite significant. It has been observed that, for example, with hog raising environments, the high emissions of ammonia from the wastes damages the lungs of growing piglets and slows their rate of growth. Carbon dioxide emissions from bovine animals are even indicated as significant in the green house effect. Emissions from poultry have been found to be a mechanism for avian microbe transmission between poultry and potentially to humans in crossover viruses.
The following Published U.S. Patent Application Documents disclose related technology for treatment of various situations and conditions that have been developed by the present inventor and are incorporated herein by reference, Published U.S. Patent Documents 20090028915; 20080193562; 20080145391; 2008121592; 20080095812; 20080063694; and 20080063560. Some of these references disclose the combination of cupric sulfate and potassium iodide combined with superabsorbent polymers, and includes disclosure of adding those materials directly onto flooring and bedding in stalls for animals. This bedding, usually in single animal stalls, must be turned and removed as is bedding, but delays the time period between bedding replacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,528,291 (Herfert et al.) describes a color-stable superabsorbent polymer having long-term color stability, and methods of manufacturing the polymer, are disclosed. The color-stable superabsorbent polymer is prepared in the essential absence of a persulfate, and is subjected to a low dose of ultraviolet radiation. The resulting superabsorbent polymer resists color degradation during periods of extended storage, even at an elevated temperature and humidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,789 (Stockhousen) describes superabsorbing polymers for watery liquids, processes used in their production and their application. The polymers, based on monomers containing carboxylate groups and obtained by a special combination of cross-linking agents and other comonomers, show a combination of properties never attained before with regard to absorption rate, high retention at high absorption under pressure, low soluble content and good permeability of the gel layer for watery liquids under pressure load and stable surface cross-linkage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,894 (Goldman et al.) describes absorbent polymers and materials useful in the containment of fluids, that have at least one region containing hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer in a concentration of from about 60 to 100% by weight and providing a gel-continuous fluid transportation zone when in a swollen state. This hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer has: (a) a Saline Flow Conductivity (SFC) value of at least about 30×10−7 cm.sup.3 sec/g; (b) a Performance under Pressure (PUP) capacity value of at least about 23 g/g under a confining pressure of 0.7 psi (5 kPa); and (c) a basis weight of at least about 10 gsm. In addition, the region where this hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer is present has, even when subjected to normal use conditions, sufficient wet integrity such that the gel-continuous zone substantially maintains its ability to acquire and transport fluids through the gel-continuous zone.
Published U.S. Patent Publication 20040077744 (Naylor) describes a process of preparing water soluble or water swellable polymer comprising the steps: a) forming an aqueous mixture comprising, i) a water soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer or blend of monomers and, ii) at least one first ultra-violet initiator, iii) at least one second ultra-violet initiator; b) effecting polymerisation by subjecting the aqueous mixture formed in step (a) to irradiation by ultraviolet light at an intensity of up to 1,000 micrometers Wcm−2; subjecting the product of step (b) to irradiation by ultraviolet light of greater than 1,000 micrometers Wcm−2, characterised in that a significant amount of the first initiator(s) is/are activated in step (b) and a significant amount of the second initiator(s) is/are activated in step (c). The process is particularly suitable for making highly effective water soluble and water swellable polymers useful as flocculants, coagulants, rheology modifiers, dispersants, superabsorbents and binders etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,462,753 (Ma) discloses a nano-silver wound dressing consisting of a skin contact layer made from hydrophilic cloth and directly contacting a wound on the surface of the skin, a disinfecting (or bactericidal) antitoxic layer made from activated charcoal cloth impregnated with nanocrystalline silver, a blood absorbing and styptic layer made from a superabsorbent polymer non-woven cloth, an isolation layer made from a composite fabric with a pore size of less than 5 micrometers and an elastic bandage for fixing a main body on the site of wound. Edges of the isolation layer and the skin contact layer are integrated to form a main body while the disinfecting (or bactericidal) antitoxic layer as well as the blood absorbing and styptic layer are separated from each other and both enclosed inside the main body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,261 (Soereus) describes a bandage or wrap with antibiotics therein. It is further described that an included nonwoven material may be treated to be hydrophilic or may include superabsorbent materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,541,395 (Reimann) describes a process for producing an absorbent polymer including a first mixing event, in which a plurality of absorbent polymer particles (1) are mixed with a liquid (2) and a second mixing event, in which the liquid (2) is homogenized within the interior of the polymer particles. The polymer particles (1) in the first mixing event are mixed with a speed such that the kinetic energy of the individual polymer particles (1) is on average larger than the adhesion energy of the individual polymer particles (1), and the polymer particles (1) in the second mixing event are stirred at a lower speed than in the first mixing event. The different speeds effect a fluidization of the polymer particles (1), which prevents a clumping of the polymer particles (1) during the mixing event. The absorbent polymers thus produced are distinguished by a particularly rapid swelling behavior.
Technology is still needed for treatment of large scale livestock operations and operations where dry stalls are not used. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference ion their entirety.